Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 Review

At first, it was pretty much slim pickings when it came to Windows 8 tablets, but now it seems as though they’re coming out steadily everywhere we look. Already relishing on some stellar tablets such as the Microsoft Surface Pro and Asus VivoTab Smart, we’re now checking out Lenovo’s offering in the ThinkPad Tablet 2. Not surprisingly, it’s sporting some of the distinct design characteristics that live up to the ThinkPad name, but more importantly, will it be able to entice consumers who are already bombarded with a decent selection of Windows 8 slates?

Glancing at the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, there’s no arguing it stands out prominently for paying homage to the enterprise style that embodies the ThinkPad legacy. Certainly a compact (0.39” / 9.9mm thin) and lightweight (19.93 oz / 565 grams) slate, it’s something that doesn’t occupy much space in a backpack – making it travel friendly and easy on the spine! Sporting a black matte finish, it does a wonderful job to maintain its clean appearance, while at the same time, the rubbery-like surface sufficiently allows for plenty of grip with our hands. Throw in the fact that its construction is solid too, we can’t complain how everything meshes together seamlessly to make the ThinkPad Tablet 2 one of the more portable and solid Windows 8 slates out right now.

On the façade of the ThinkPad Tablet 2, there’s a flush Start button directly beneath the display – while the front-facing 2-megeapixel is seen on the opposite edge.

Pressing the tablet’s power button is a challenge in itself, seeing that it’s flush and rather indistinct to the touch. Fortunately, there’s no concern with its separated volume controls and screen rotation lock switch that are located on its right trim. Always useful and adding value to the ThinkPad Tablet 2, we’re pleased to find that it’s packing along a microSD card slot, SIM slot, mini-HDMI port, and a full-sized USB port. Needless to say, with that kind of arsenal in tow, it undoubtedly enhances its usefulness as a true laptop replacement. Also, there’s a proprietary docking port on the bottom edge that allows the tablet to connect with its optional keyboard dock.

The connectors around the sides of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2

The 8-megapixel shooter can be found on the back

In the rear, we find slots on both edges for its speaker grills – while its 8-megapixel auto-focus camera and LED flash, which has the ability to shoot 1080p videos, are positioned squarely towards the upper-middle section of the casing.

Lastly, much like other recent Windows 8 slates we’ve been scoping of late, it features a pressure sensitive stylus, which thankfully can be tucked away discretely into the slot that’s built into the tablet’s left edge.

Display:

The 10.1-inch display is pleasant enough

It’s surely not going to win any awards, but the 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 IPS display of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 is pleasant enough to accept. Needless to say, it doesn’t impress on paper with its 155 ppi pixel density, but frankly speaking, it’s more than sufficient when we’re viewing it from a normal distance away – though, we can clearly tell it’s not as sharp looking with fine details when compared to 10-inch 1920x1080 displays. On the colors side, it’s a bit reserved with its tones, but we're happy that its viewing angles are good enough to maintain its clarity. Unfortunately, with its low contrast and brightness, it doesn’t particularly handle outdoor conditions too well with the sun bearing down on it.

Pen & Digitizer:

Hardly a newcomer within the inner circle of Windows 8 tablets, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 also boasts a pressure sensitive digitizer pen – similar to what we’ve seen on other tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and Microsoft Surface Pro. As we revealed already, it’s wonderful that there’s a slot in the tablet itself to store the pen when it’s not in use, however, we find its sensitivity to be either hit or miss. Don’t get us wrong, it adds a lot of value since it acts as a mouse cursor to hover over various elements, but it just seems at times a bit wonky in registering various degrees of applied pressure.

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Posts: 2; Member since: Mar 06, 2013

Hi,
It's an awesome tablet. But you haven't mentioned whether the USB port can be used for External hard drives or DVD readers..? In the reviews on other sites, there is confusion on that issue. Due to this issue I'm planning to get the Dell latitude..!

posted on Mar 06, 2013, 9:53 AM 0

Posts: 72; Member since: Sep 03, 2011

RossP, all win8 pro devices are full blown windows OS, meaning USB ports can be used for whatever you like..... you only have to worry about restrictions on other OSs / normal tablets... I notice a lot of reviewers don't seem to get that these win8 pro devices aren't really tablets in the Ipad / Android sense... when you get Pro, it will run any software and work with any device that works with Windows.... I even see some reviewers criticizing them for not having enough apps.... which is retarded

posted on Apr 01, 2013, 7:22 AM 0

Posts: 2; Member since: Mar 06, 2013

Dear Oldhamletman,
Instead of disparaging my query, if you could have just read it completely, you could see that i had a very specific question.
In quite a few reviews, i saw that although TP2 USB port can use keyboards / pendrives, it doesn't have enough power to support the External hard drives or DVD readers. And true, it is retarded to talk about no. of apps for Windows 8.

posted on Apr 02, 2013, 12:10 PM 0

Posts: 214; Member since: Jun 29, 2011

is that really just a plain windows logo sticker on the home button (which in addition is even misplaced)?!?! if so, then it's kind of disappointing. i mean that is just really poorly handled by lenovo and a huge letdown for an awesome device like this...

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